Musician Truong Ngoc Ninh, 81, joined the army at the age of 16 and played music at the troupe of Military Region III. Later, he studied at the Hanoi Conservatory of Music, now the Vietnam National Academy of Music, for six years.

Ninh said he traveled everywhere during the resistance war against America with a guitar on his shoulders. The years of living in fire and bullets helped create valuable and endless inspiration for the musician in his songs.

After graduating from the academy, he worked for more than 10 years for the Air Defense - Air Force as a composer, conductor and art director. In 1996, Ninh left to work for the Hanoi Department of Culture and Information.

During that time, the musician composed many notable chamber music works, such as Bien tau song Da, Rung Mien Tay, and light music songs which became very famous later.

The 1990s of the last century saw Ninh make a turning point in his music career when he created modern, lyrical melodies in Thang Muoi Hanoi, Nua Vang Trang and Bien Khat.

He was also the manager and music producer of boy bands such as DongDoi, SaoMai and AnhEm. He has a colossal heritage of 500 songs, many of which are famous and sung by many artists.

Ninh said he composed many songs to the order of agencies and localities, songs that praise the development of districts, industries and branches. All the songs were polished carefully and contained emotions from the artist’s soul.

Loi Ru Chia Doi was composed to support the Central Youth Union’s campaign for population and family planning in the 1990s and won second prize at the competition. At the same time, other songs, including Sao Em No Voi Lay Chong by Tran Tien and Co Nu Thon Toi by Pho Duc Phuong, with the same theme, became famous.

Ninh said he thinks about music and looks for topics for his songs all the time everywhere. Thanks to his life experiences, he can compose and write lyrics for songs quickly. 

Ninh’s best known achievements include The Best of Truong Ngoc Ninh (1995), Truong Ngoc Ninh Album (1995) and Con Duong Am Nhac (Music Path) TV Show broadcast on the national TV channel VTV3 in 2011.

He was awarded the State Award for Literature and Arts (2007), the Vietnam Musicians Association Award for instrumental music, and other medals and awards.

Songs for theatre

Many people may not know that Bien Khat is the song Ninh composed to an order from the Hanoi Drama Theatre, and which was used for a drama.

Ninh told the press that Bien Khat song relates the story about the love between a woman and a soldier. She thought that the soldier had died in the war, so she married another man and had children, but she never forgot her first love. Later, when realizing that the solder was still alive, she decided to seek him. Finally, they reunited. The soldier who left the war and had to get used to the new living environment had to undergo a fierce mental struggle to accept the wife’s stepchild.

My Linh was the first singer who performed the song. The artist expressed the feelings of love of the couple and won the heart of audiences.

Bien Khat helped the female singer find her life partner, Anh Quan, who is also a musician. They met for the first time at the studio of the Military Art School.

My Anh, the daughter of Quan and Linh, has also grown up as a singer.

In November 2021, My Anh performed at the Head in the Clouds organized by 88rising, at Rose Bowl Stadium in Los Angeles. In January 2022, My Anh represented Vietnam at the Round Festival, an important music festival for artists in South Korea and Southeast Asia. She has attended many TV shows and has had many works praised by professional critics.

At the age of 81, musician Truong Ngoc Ninh still follows a healthy way of living and continues to compose new works.

Thien Di